Hasselbeck looking more like full-go for Sunday

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck practiced again Thursday and all signs point to the veteran being ready to play Sunday when the struggling Seattle Seahawks take on Jacksonville at Qwest Field.

Hasselbeck took the majority of snaps and appeared sharp in his second straight day back after missing two weeks with a fractured rib suffered on a goal-line tackle by San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis.

Matt Hasselbeck

Though the team won’t make any announcement until Friday at the earliest and listed him as “limited” in Thursday’s practice report to the league, players seem to think he’s near full strength.

“He looked good,” Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson said. “I ran a crossing route around 20 yards down field and he hit me square between the numbers. Almost tore off my left nipple. So he had a little heat behind it. I take that as he’s throwing pretty darn good.”

Linebacker Lofa Tatupu said it’s encouraging to see Hasselbeck on the other side of the ball even just in practice.

“Absolutely,” Tatupu said. “With the amount of injuries we’ve had it’s been tough, but that’s no excuse. Everybody has to pick their game up that much more. Seneca has done a fine job in the time he’s been in there. It’s great to see No. 8 healthy, but no matter who’s back there, we’re going to rally behind him.”

Hasselbeck surely has some discomfort still from his broken rib and it remains to be seen how well he’ll be able to take a hit, but his teammates appreciate the effort he’s making to get back on the field as quickly as possible.

“We all saw how he was injured, diving head first instead of doing the typical QB slide,” Burleson said. “So you know he has heart. Obviously we see him wanting to get back on the field and help us get a quick turnaround here.”

Burleson has been a staunch supporter of Wallace’s as well and calls him one of the best athletes he’s ever been around, but acknowledged the benefits if Hasselbeck returns for Sunday’s 1:15 p.m. game.

“Because they’re so similar as far as throwing mechanics and getting the ball out there to you, they’re both really good quarterbacks in my eyes,” Burleson said. “But Matt is our leader and he is our starter and maybe for a morale standpoint and the fans, everybody would like to see the people who start be on the field.

“That’s not to take away from Sen, because at the end of the day, if we don’t give Matt time, he’s not going to have time to throw. Regardless of whether it’s our starting QB or second QB, at the end of the day we’ve got to protect him. I think that’s what it boils down to.”

Other injury news: The only change in Thursday’s injury report was FB Justin Griffith practiced in full after being listed as limited on Wednesday.

Tatupu (hamstring) and Hasselbeck again were listed as limited participants while DE Patrick Kerney did not practice due to a strained groin.